Saturday, March 29, 2014

The Glamorous Genealogist: The National Archives and The 1939 Registers

The Glamorous Genealogist: The National Archives and The 1939 Registers: Before the UK became embroiled in WWII, the British Government made a record of  the civilian population for the purposes of controlling...

The National Archives and The 1939 Registers



Before the UK became embroiled in WWII, the British Government made a record of  the civilian population for the purposes of controlling rationing and issuing identity cards. Beginning 29 September 1939 every individual was asked to register. Name, sex, age, occupation, address, marital status and military service, if any, was recorded.
These registration records fill the gaps for historians and family researches because there was no census taken in the UK in 1941 and the census records from 1931 were destroyed. Findmypast.com and The National Archives are working together to digitize and publish these records and expect to have them available in two years. You can sign up Here  to be notified when the records become available.
If you are desperate for information and cannot wait the two years for a record, they are available for purchase individually through the Health and Social Care Information Centre


World War II era Ration Books


World War II era Identity Card


Thursday, March 13, 2014

A Bit of the Irish

If you, like myself and many others, suspect that you have a little or a lot of Irish ancestry, than this is the month to research it.
Ancestry.com is offering free records from Ireland until midnight on March 17th.  http://tinyurl.com/FreeIrishRecordsForAll

There are many other resources available.

The Family History Library Catalog now has many books and genealogy references digitized.
I went to the site and searched for the surname MacDonald, a name in my tree. 795 matching
publications were returned. Some of the publications offered an online viewing saying "To view a digital version of this article click here" and offered page  images such as this 


while others forwarded me to World Cat to search for a library to borrow or view the texts. It is certainly worth while to spend some time at Family Search to see what is available.

Using the same name MacDonald, I went to the Ellis Island Website . My search returned 3834 results!20 million people passed through  Ellis Island  between 1892-1924 The website has ship manifests, ship images and passenger lists. 

The National Library of Ireland is another resource which is not to be overlooked.

Enjoy the journey of searching for your Irish ancestors!
Thank you for stopping by!
The Glamorous Genealogist

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Using "Google Alerts" to Enhance your Research

Using "Google Alerts" As A Genealogical Tool

One of many helpful resources for genealogists is Google Alerts.

Using this address www.google.com/alerts will lead you to a page which looks like this.



In the search query box , enter the word you would like to be notified of, for example a family surname or the name of a town or village where they lived. You can choose to have daily notifications via your inbox or via a feed or you may choose only weekly notifications to your inbox.
You can choose the type of location that you want this information to be culled from such as news, blogs, or everything published on the web. You can create multiple alerts.
Google Alerts works very well if you are researching less common names but does not work as well if you are researching surnames with frequent occurrences like "Smith" or "Miller".
I am fortunate to have some names which are less frequently occurring such as my married name of Meentzen. . Only this week I was notified of an international online auction listing. When I went to check it out, I found that it was something I had been searching for for some years. My father in law, Carl Meentzen, had cigars made with his name and his company name on the labels. I had heard of these but had not found one. This site had photos of 5 different cigar labels with his name on them. It is of course now my goal to try to acquire these mementos.


If you have an ancestor who owned any sort of company, was a merchant or a professional who used advertising tools, you may have success with this as well. I was notified of a worldwide Ebay auction and was able to acquire other advertising pieces from this same line of the family.
Family Advertising, a calendar would have been in the center.

You may get lucky and find another relative researching your same family line and you can share data and swap photos as I did. I found a name frequently popping up in association with one of my alert names. I contacted him and we realized that we were 2nd cousins. We were able not only to share information, but also to meet , visit a family cemetery, share family photos and have lunch; An excellent day for a genealogist!


I have Google Alerts set for some of the more unusually named villages in England where my paternal grandfathers family is from including the village of Oddington. I get the occasional alert from this name search, but from that I have been alerted to an old family home for sale. I  went to the realtor listing website and downloaded the interior and exterior photos for my files. It was not as good as being there but was a tolerable substitute!
A home once owned by my ancestors


Enjoy using Google Alerts and I hope you have success!

Thank you for stopping by.
The Glamorous Genealogist



Sunday, March 9, 2014

The Campaign to Open Historic Registers and Eliminate Additional Fees Is Underway

The Campaign to Open Historic Registers and Eliminate Additional Fees Is Underway

Ordering of birth , marriage and death records is currently under the control of the General Register Office in England.  The GRO charges for these records and there is an additional charge if they are sent Priority mail. There are many who believe that these items are their rightful heritage and that they should have  access to them at no expense. They are campaigning to have the records transferred to the National Archives where they can be more freely accessed.
Many of us have used the U.K resources of the National Archives "Access to Archives"
 website for the locating and ordering of wills, deeds, and vital records. I have frequently found the answers to many genealogical questions by ordering documents here and have been pleased with the service and the results.  . http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a/
Photo by William Hoiles, Baskin NJ


The Rootsweb list 'Legal England and Wales' reports:


"There is a campaign to get the Historic Birth, Marriage and Death registers
open to the public without having to purchase certificates.
This could be done by either transferring the centralized registers held by
the GRO to the National Archive or by transferring the registers held by
superintendent registrars to the County Record Offices.
In addition a number of commercial companies would be willing to digitise
the registers allowing them to be available online and also available at the
archives free of charge."


The goal is to make these records free and accessible and they urge genealogists to spread the word. If you live in the UK and have an interest, they recommend that you contact your local MP.

More information from the campaigns website can be accessed  HERE


Thank you for stopping by!
The Glamorous Genealogist

Thursday, March 6, 2014

The Tin Foil Hat Episode



Have you been researching your family history and experienced Ancestral Deja Vu?
Watch The Tin Foil Hat Episode of The Glamorous Genealogy Vlog.

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Researching Dutch American Ancestors

A Starter Pack for Dutch American Research!
I began researching my Dutch ancestry about 20 years ago. It is the line of my grandmother Eva Bradt. Her 6th great grandfather was the Norwegian  Albert Andreissen Bradt (1607-1686) who owned the mill on the Normanskil River in New Netherlands.He lived among the Dutch settlers and his children married within the Dutch community.He was a fur trapper and trader, a land owner,briefly a tobacco grower and by all accounts a tough as nails, litigious character. His brother Arent is the one who shines most brightly in historical accounts, however I find my line to be equally as intriguing.
The Memorandum Book of Anthony De Hooges has a translation online at  the New Netherlands Institute

As I began researching my Dutch ancestors it became clear that many had gone before me on this task.I have to say that I relied heavily on the meticulous work of some family historians who did the leg work of researching documents long before computer genealogy was one of the countries most popular hobbies.

 If you are researching your Dutch American ancestors, here are a few tips and links which my help you to develop your tree. Because this is such a well documented group of people, I recommend starting with Family Associations.


Here are some examples of Family Associations of my Dutch Ancestor Surnames:

Some Family Associations have added Facebook Pages such as these:


Once you find an association that relates to your family line, it is helpful to everyone if you make contact with them and give them the information of your branch of the tree. Some groups have reunions. historical tours and newsletters which can be a terrific source of networking. People who belong to these associations usually have a strong dedication to building and perpetuating the family  heritage and I have found them to be very helpful.

Books Online
There are numerous free book resources on the web  such as the National Archives and Google Books which can help with Dutch Genealogy Research. Primary resources are essential for accurate research, but books can bring ancestors to life via anecdotes, stories of adventures and maps or later photos of their homes and lands.Here are some examples of books that relate to Dutch research.


Op Dyke  Genealogy by Charles Wilson Opdyke



The Van Rensealler Family by  W.W. Spooner 

A History of the Van Sickle Family, in the United States of America  .By John Waddell Van Sickle  


Minisink Valley Reformed Dutch Church Records by the Genealogy Society of Sussex





Photo from the book  Dutch Houses of the Hudson River Valley by [Helen Wilkinson Reynolds. Depicted are my Van Aken ancestors in the front yard of their home circa 1870 in Esopus,N.Y.


Search The Library of Congress Photo Archive and you may find a gem like this: A photo of the barn of my 8th great grandfather Johannes Decker.
Wallkill, Ulster, New York

Links
There are many free to view websites which are excellent sources for Dutch American research.
Hear Dutch Here

New York Public Library
The 1609 Exhibition features the "Distinctly Dutch" influence on culture, food, furnishings and more. See the online exhibit Here
Hudson River Historic View Flyover

I hope that this little starter pack of Dutch American genealogy inspires you to find out more about your heritage.



Thank you for stopping by! The Glamorous Genealogist!


Friday, February 7, 2014

A List of Ships & Passengers of William Penns' Fleet


A number of my ancestors were Quakers from Lancashire  and Yorkshire England. They came over to America with William Penn. Following is a list of Penn's Ships and the passengers who traveled on these vessels.
William Penn


Please be advised that this list could contain errors or may not be complete. 

The Freeman August, 1682, George Southern, master, one of Penn's fleet Thomas Brassey William Morton
Friends' Adventure September 1682, Thomas Wall, master, one of Penn's fleet 
Thomas Barrett ,William Beasy ,John Brearly ,Luke Brindley. Samuel Buckley, Thomas Buckley, John Brock, John Clows, Joseph Clows ,Sarah Clows ,Ralph Cowgill, Andrew Heath, Eliza Heaton ,John Heycock, Job Houle, Thomas Leister, Henry Lingart, Daniel Milnor, Joseph Milnor, James Morris, Ralph Nuttall, George and Eleanor Pownall and children: Reuben, Elizabeth, Sarah, Rachel and Abigail, Martha Worrall, William, and Jane Yardley and children: Enoch, Thomas and William Shadrach Walley, William and Elizabeth Barrett Venables and children: Joyce and Frances

The Hester and Hannah August, 1682, William East, master, 
one of Penn's fleet. William Guest

The Jeffries (or Jeffrey) 1st month, 20, 1686, Thomas Arnold, master 
Johannes Cassel and children: Arnold, Peter, Elizabeth, Mary, and Sarah. Joseph Ransted ,Sarah Shoemaker (widow) and children: George, Abraham, Barbary, Isaac, Susanna, Elizabeth and Benjamin

The Lamb October 22, 1682, John Tench, master, one of Penn's fleet Ellen Cowgill and children John, Ralph, Edmund, Jane and Jennet Thomas Croasdale, wife Agnes and children: William, John , Elizabeth, Mary, Bridget and Alice James Dilworth, wife Ann Waln, son Stephen Cuthbert and Mary Rudd Hayhurst and Children: Elizabeth, William, Margery, John, Cuthbert and Alice Charles Lee ,Stephen Sands, Robert and Alice Heaton and children: Grace, Robert, James, Agnes and Ephraim Thomas and Margery Stackhouse and nephews: John and Thomas Nicholas and Jane Turner Waln and children: Jane, Richard and Margaret Thomas and Alice Hayhurst Wigglesworth

The Lion August 13, 1682, John Compton, master
 Dr. Edward and Mary Wynne Jones and children Martha and Jonathan William ap Edward and 2nd wife Jane and daughters Katherine and Elizabeth (Williams) Edward ap Rees and wife Mably and children Rees and Catherine (Price)

The Liver (or Levee) of Liverpool July 1683, James Kilner, master, 
Thomas Brinket, Philip Englandm George Greenm Edward Jonesm Nicholas Newlin and sons John and Nathaniel ...wife Mary


The Morning Star November 1683, from Liverpool, Thomas Hayes, master,
 from Liverpool Henry Atherly, David Davies  Robert Davies  , wife and children George Edge , wife, Joan "of Barrow" Humphrey Edwards, servant to John ap Edwards, John ap Edwards and minor children Elizabeth, Sarah, Edward and Evan Mary Hughes, servant to John ap Edwards, William ap John (Jones), wife Ann Reynold and children John. Alice, Katherine and Gwen Gabriel Jones, servant to John ap Edwards, John Loftus,,William and Elizabeth Morgan, Thomas Oldham, Thomas Pritchard, Gainor Roberts,, sister of Hugh Roberts, married fellow passenger John Roberts,, Hugh Roberts, wife Jane and children Robert, Ellin, Owen, Edward and William ,John Roberts, Richard ap Thomas and son Richard, Jr.

The Providence 7th month, 29, 1682, Robert Hopper, master
 William Carter, John Lash

 Name ? 10th month, 1683, Robert Hopper, master 
Joshua and Isabel Hoopes and children: Dan, Margaret and Christian John and Christian Palmer

The Rebecca 8th month, 31, 1685, James Skinner, master
 Thomas Bates Richard and Margaret Cureton and children: William and Jane Edmund and Isabel Cutler and children: Elizabeth, Thomas and William, John Cutler, Ann Dugdale , Robert Hewit ,James Heyworth, James Holgate, Mathew Holdgate, and daughter Mary John Jennings,John and Ann Lathum and children: John, Aron, Moses and Ann, Richard Mather, James Molenex, James Myriall, Cornelius Netherwood, James, Mary, Richard, Edward, Rebecca and Rachell Ratcliffe, Hester Rothwell, James Rothwell ,James Scoles, John Scoles, William Wardle, Elizabeth Wingreene.

The Samuel September 18, 1682, John Adey, master, 
one of Penn's fleet Edward and Mercy Jefferson, Henry Paxson and wife and children: John, Henry and Elizabeth Thomas Paxson, Robert Young

The Amity August 8, 1682, arrived at Upland, Richard Dymond, master 
John Beckingham, servant to Joseph Richards,, William Beckingham, servant to Joseph Richards, Thomas Bowman, John Claypoole, John Fletcher, Daniel Hall, servant to Henry Waddy,Thomas Holme, Edmund McVeagh, John and Elizabeth (Sellat) Martin, of Edgcott, Buckinghamshire, James and Jane Paxson, and children Sarah and William, William and Mary Paxson and daughter Mary. Joseph and Jane Richards, Of Newgate in Witney, Oxfordshire, settled in Chichester. Henry Stacey, Thomas Seary (Cerey), Henry Waddy .

The Amity ,5th month, 15, 1686 at Philadelphia, Richard Dymond, master
David and Sarah Lloyd, Christopher and Barbara Sibthorp, and daughter Barbary William Pike.

The Lyon August 13, 1682, John Compton, master
 Dr. Edward and Mary Wynne Jones and children Martha and Jonathan (William ap Edward and 2nd wife Jane and daughters Katherine and Elizabeth (Williams) Edward ap Rees and wife Mably and children Rees and Catherine (Price).


The Samuel and Mary November 1683, Thomas Skeves, master 
Samuel Beakes, mother Mary, brothers William and Stephen, Henry Comly, wife Joan and son Henry, Jr. Joseph Kirle, Thomas Masters, James West ,Robert Young

The Society August, 1682, Thomas Jordan, master, 
of Bristol
 Joseph English, Giles and Mary (English) Knight and son Joseph. Ann Knigh,t Thomas and Joanna Paschall and children Thomas, William and Mary.

The Submission November 2, 1682, James Settle, master, one of Penn's fleet.
 Randall and Allis Blackshaw and family: Phebe, Sarah, Abraham, Jacob, Mary, Nehemiah and Martha Robert Bond Roger and Eleanor Bradbury and family: Jacob, Martha, Jospeh, Sarah and Roger Elizbaeth Breadbury James and Jane Clayton and children: James, John, Joshua, Sarah, Mary and Lydia Jane and Margery Maude Allis Dickenson James and Ann Harrison, Agness Harrison Ellis and Jane Jones and family: Barbary, Dorothy, Mary and Isaac Jane Lyon Joseph Mather Marjory Mede, Jane Mede Phineas and Phebe Pemberton and children: Abigail and Joseph Ralph Pemberton Richard Radcliffe Joseph Steward Lydia Wharmby
The Thomas and Anne October, 1681, at New Jersey, Thomas Singleton, master, Voyage 1 William Biddle Francis Collins Thomas Crundall (Crandall) Edward Ellis John Essington

The Unicorne 10th month, 1682, Thomas Cooper, master 
William Cloude and sons William, Jr, Jeremiah and Robert Anthony Elton, wife Susanna, children: Mary, Geroge, Anthony Jr., and Thomas


The Vine 7th month, 17, 1684, William Preeson, master
 Thomas Armes, Henry and Margaret Baker and children: Rachell, Rebecca, Phebe, Hester, Nathan and Samuel. John Bal,l Rebecca Barrow, Mary Becke,t Deborah Boothe, Thomas Canby, John Cowp, David Davis, Alexander and Margaret Edwards and children: Margaret, Martha, Alexander and Thomas, Edward Edwards, Lowry Edwards, Jane Evans (widow) and children: Sarah, Mary, Alice, Eliza and Joseph. Joseph Ferror, Thomas Fisher, Susan Griffith, Elinor Hall, Martha Hall, Mary Hall, Rebecca Hall, Thomas Harrison, Daniel Harris, (Harry) Hugh Harris (Harry,) William and Eliza Hatton, Charles Hues, Joseph Hurst, Anne Jones and daughter Anne Rees, and Hannah Jones and children Richard, Evan and Lowry, Joshua Lort ,Robert Lort ,Ann Owen, Griffith and Sarah Owen and children: Robert, Sarah and Elinor .Katherine Owen ,Robert and Jeane Owen and son Lewis. Lawrence Parker Rees and Ann Prees and children: Mary, Sarah, Phebe, Richard and John. John and Susan Richards and children: Hannah and Bridget. Henry Siddell. John Siddell, Elizabeth Stedman and children: Sarah, and Joseph. John Stedman, Katherine Tidey ,and daughter Mary Richard and Margaret Turner and daughter Rebecca. James Yates Jeanne, Bridget and Elizabeth Watt.

The Friendship August 14, 1682, Robert Crossman, master, one of Penn's fleet
 James Kennerly, Thomas and Margaret Minshall. John and Jane Sharpless and children: Phebe, John, Thomas (died on voyage), James, Caleb, Jane and Joseph. John Simcock and sons John and Jacob. William and Margaretta Taylor and children Joseph, Elizabeth and Mary. Peter Taylor, Randle Vernon, Robert Vernon, Thomas Vernon
 Name ? 8th month, 14, 1683, John Crumpton, master 
Benjamin Acton, Lemuel Bradshaw, Alice Cales, Benjamin Clift, Margaret Colvert (Calvert), William Conduit, Richard Curtis ,Edmund Doyle, Joseph and Elizabeth Fisher and children: Martha, Mary and Moses, Henry Furnace, Joseph Furnace ,Rachel Furnace ,Rowland Hambridge, Valentine Hollingsworth and son Henry, Elizabeth Johnson, Robert Kilcarth, Edward Lancaster, Robert Lloyd, Peter Long, William Long, Phillip Packer, John Reeves, William Robertson, Robert Selford ,Thomas Tearewood ,Mary Toole,

 Name ? November, 1683, Robert Crossman, master, from Liverpool George and Isabella Gleave, servants to Hough, and their son George Jonathan Hayes, wife Ann Williamson, and children Jonathan, Mary and Elizabeth John Hough, wife Hannah and son John Henry Maddock, Thomas Pemberton


 Name ?  8th month 31, 1683, Thomas Cooper, master 
George and Ellinor Painter and children: Susan and George Jannet Umphries

 Name ? 10th month, 16, 1685, Thomas Cooper, master 
Daniel Flower, Mary Bradwell, Sarah Bradwell, Joshua Chart, Samuel Chart, Jane Chart, Jane Chart, Jr. Philip Doling, Thomas Hopes, John Hopes, John Ironmonger, Henry Laking, Susanna Laking, Moses Laking ,Thomas Martin, Margery Martin, Mary Martin, Sarah Martin, Hannah Martin, Rachel Martin , Moses Mendenhall ,Thomas Mixon, Thomas Mixon, Jr. Anne Morgan, Joseph Morgan, Benjamin Morgan, Elizabeth Philpot, John Roberts, Hannah Smith, Mary Townsend, Thomas Tushin, Godden Walter, Faith Wotten.


Links for further research:
Philadelphia Neighborhood

The Historical Society of Pennsylvania

William Penn

The William Penn Papers

The Welcome Society of Pennsylvania


 Thank You for Stopping By! The Glamorous Genealogist

Thomas Bond of Lancashire England : Quakers To America

Above : Lancaster Castle where numerous Quakers were imprisoned, including my 9th great grandfather Thomas Bond.
If you are researching Quaker ancestors, you are in luck. Generally speaking, this is an easier genealogical task than most because the Quakers kept excellent records of births , marriages/banns, deaths and misbehavior. Following is a brief history of some of my ancestors who were followers of the Quaker faith A  list of  free links are included so that you can research your Quaker ancestors as well.



Thomas Bond: The Bond Family and Quaker Origins
Thomas Bond , my 9th great grandfather ,was born in Woodacre, Lancashire, England in 1630. A wealthy iron monger**, he published some of the first Quaker writings in 1655. In 1673 he was imprisoned in Lancaster Castle . He had refused to take an oath in court when he was on trial for failure to pay tithes. Swearing an oath was contrary to Quaker teachings.As was the fate of many Quakers he was imprisoned, on this occasion  for 9 weeks. The wealthy fared better in prison than those with no means. Shackles of the legs and arms would be removed if money passed hands to the guards. A better room might be acquired for financial consideration.The incarceration would have been a hardship on anyone and meals would have seemed particularly spartan to Thomas Bond who would normally have had a sturdy diet of oatmeal, beef, bacon, mutton, potatoes and butter. Perhaps Thomas Bonds' incarceration was less grueling than the prison time of the less well healed Quaker leader George Fox .  George Fox mentions the trials of Thomas Bond in The Journal of George Fox: Being an Historical Account of the Life, Travels .

Thomas Bond


George Fox was summoned to the Lancaster Assizes on a number of occasions, the most famous of which was in September 1664 when he refused to take the oath and was remanded in custody until the next Assizes. He described his incarceration at Lancaster Castle prison:"Then I was put into a tower, where the smoke of the other rooms came up so thick, that it stood as dew upon the walls, and sometimes it was so thick that I could hardly see the candle when it burned; and I being locked under three locks, the under-jailer, when the smoke was great, would hardly be persuaded to come up to unlock one of the upper doors, for fear of the smoke, so that I was almost smothered. Besides, it rained in upon my bed; and many times, when I went to stop out the rain in the cold winter season, my shift would be as wet as muck with the rain that came in upon me. And the place being high and open to the wind, sometimes as fast as I stop it, the wind, being high and fierce, would blow it out again. In this manner did I lie all that long cold winter, till the next Assize; in which time I was so starved with cold and rain, that my body was greatly swelled, and my limbs much numbed. "


Two Images of  the Quaker Leader George Fox. The image on the right is in the possession of Swarthmore College, painted by Sir Peter Lely.



Thomas Bond lived another ten years after his release from Lancaster Castles prison. Today this same Castle holds the distinction of being the oldest working courtroom in England and the court which has passed the most death sentences. The room where the Quakers and the Lancashire witches were out on trial is now a jurors waiting room.
Thomas Bond may have had intentions to move to America. Two years before his death he acquired 1000 acres in the County of Bucks. Some of his children including his daughter Jane Bond accompanied other Quakers to Bucks Co, Pa. where she married John Scott. After John Scotts' death, John Whittacre Sr., who had also come to America with the Quakers from Lancashire England, announced at the Falls Monthly Meeting of 6 January 1702.,his intention to marry the widow Jane Bond Scott . The union was approved.

Burial Record of Thomas Bond from the Database "England and Wales, Quaker Birth Marriage and Death Record"s on Ancestry.com


Some of my ancestors arrived aboard "The Lamb" a ship in William Penns' fleet.

My descent from this line is as follows:
John Whitacre Sr (
1678 – 1742) to Jane Bond (1664 – 1742)
John Whitacre Jr (1704 – 1775) to Naomi Hulme (1713 – 1797)
George Whitacre (1743 – 1785) to Ruth Wilson (1748 – 1806)
Joshua Whitacre (1768 – 1814) to Rachel Wilson (1768 – 1814)
Nancy Whitacre  (1793 – 1866) to Joseph Strickling (1790 – 1874)
Robison Strickling (1822 – 1902) to Louisa E. Baker (1825 – 1898)
Alexander Strickling (1857 – 1923) to Emma Jane Bigley (1856 – 1898)
John William Strickling (1879 – 1945) to Florence Ann Watson (1880 – 1944)
Vera Mae Strickling  (1901 – 1929)  to Harley E. Bowles (1902 – 1974)
Robert Heston Bowles
private



This line of my family is imarried in several places with the Hayhurst line. Cuthbert Hayhurst of Slaidburn, Yorkshire England. ThIS well known Quaker is my 1st cousin, 11 generations past. His grandmother Elizabeth Hayhurst was married to John Bond. John Bond is my 11th ggrandfather . In 
The History of the Society of Friends in America
 By James Bowden, Cuthbert Hayhurst is described as "one of the earliest of those who professed our principals" and that 'He came forth as a minister of the Gospel. As early as 1654 he suffered imprisonment for preaching the truths of the gospel". In 1682 he arrived in America with William Penn and his assistance and ministry to the new settlers was invaluable.


Timeline of Quaker Activity in Lancaster

1652 + John Lawson, Lancaster's first Quaker, is converted by George Fox. [His tombstone can be seen in the porch of the Meeting House on Meeting House Lane. 1652 or 3 P Quaker George Fox from Ulverston is summoned to the Court of Sessions in Lancaster on a blasphemy charge which is thrown out for lack of evidence. Dr. William Marshall, Vicar of Lancaster, and two priest's sons were witnesses against him.
1653  [approximately] Quaker George Fox is thrown out of Lancaster Priory and people throw stones at him along the street. He takes refuge in a shop..
1658  Oliver Cromwell dies.
1677  The Society of Friends (Quakers) build a Meeting House on the southern slopes of Castle Hill. [It is rebuilt in 1708.]
1681  Seth Bushell appointed Vicar. He was noted by Quaker William Stout, as a 'person of a moderate disposition' who 'much discouraged persecution for religion . . . and very courteous to Dissenters of all denominations'. . [See Note 3]
1682  Seth Bushell, Vicar of Lancaster. . [See Note 3] 

1702  Anne, sister of Queen Mary and second daughter of King James II is made Queen of Great Britain and Ireland. She remains a Protestant. [She is the last British sovereign of the house of Stuart.
1708  The Society of Friends (Quakers) rebuild their Meeting House on the southern slopes of Castle Hill. [On Meeting House Lane. The tombstone of John Lawson, Lancaster's first Quaker, can be seen in the porch.

** The earliest records suggest that the Ironmongers, then known as Ferroners, were an effective body in 1300, when they took action against the smiths of the Wealds of Kent and Sussex over the quality of iron supplied for the wheels of carts in the City of London. By 1328 they were regarded as a firmly established brotherhood, joining in the elections of the City officials and choosing four of their members to treat with the Mayor and Sheriffs.The Ironmongers' received a grant of arms in 1455, describing them as the "Honourable Crafte and Fellasship of Fraunchised Men of Iromongers", and a charter of incorporation from Edward IV in 1463, which was reconfirmed in 1558, 1560, 1604 and 1687 by various monarchs.




Quaker Sources  and Resources Online








I am fascinated by a current research project which has commenced at Lancaster University spearheaded by Dr Hilary Hinds, Professor Alison Findlay,and Professor Emeritus Meg Twycross, who are  tracing the impact of George Fox on the environment from 1652-1653. Transcriptions and images of George Fox's journals, courtesy of the Religious Society of Friends in Britain are available to view. Below is a sample: View the project Here.


























Thank you for stopping by. See you soon! The Glamorous Genealogist





Updated from and article I published in 2007
 Randi Bowles-Meentzen aka The Glamorous Genealogist